The second half of Atlanta United’s 2026 MLS season is here. Are you ready? Actually, don’t answer that.
Ready or not, the resumption of the MLS regular season has already arrived as we transition from a captivating World Cup on home soil to the final 19-20 games on the schedule. For Atlanta, that means a four match Eastern Conference road trip as Mercedes-Benz Stadium recovers from its World Cup hangover over the next few weeks.
First stop: first place Nashville SC, at GEODIS Park, on primetime national TV. Welcome back.
Let’s begin with some head-to-head stats, courtesy of stats.scarvesandspikes.com:
A break like this calls for a recap. Atlanta United entered the 2026 on the back of the worst season in club history, contending for last place in the league until the final day. Manager Ronny Deila was relieved of duty shortly after, and in his place came the return of Tata Martino as Atlanta’s head coach. With the same on-paper talent that had everyone eager for 2025, surely a proven, capable manager would make things somewhat better?
Well… things have not improved quickly in 2026. In fact, Atlanta United began even worse than the previous year, winning once in their first nine matches to start the season. At the World Cup break, the Five Stripes are 14 matches through the year, and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, just four points ahead of last place Philadelphia. A 3-2-9 record with a -9 goal differential, scoring an average of once per game, and bombed out of the U.S. Open Cup in the quarterfinal to Orlando City make for rough times indeed.
During the break, the team parted with defender Juan Berrocal and midfielder Matias Galarza after their loan deals expired, and traded Saba Lobjanidze to Real Salt Lake in exchange for up to $725k worth of allocation money.
A pair of veteran South American defenders, Júnior Alonso and Paulo Díaz, have been brought in so far in the secondary transfer window as Atlanta attempts to restructure the roster starting from the back. They won’t be available, though, as the visa process remains to be sorted out.
Bringing us into the match today, that means Atlanta United will be thin at center back for this trip up into Nashville. Stian Gregersen listed as questionable the match with a quad injury makes things *very* thin. It might just be a hard snap back into reality tonight when up against one of the league’s best teams.
Nashville is contending with some injuries of their own, with two players out and six questionable including Andy Najar and Edvard Tagseth, who were vital in Nashville’s 2-0 win in the Benz back in April.
The Boys in Gold are yet to lose at home this year, boasting some of the best stats both with and without the ball. Atlanta were able to grab three points in their previous trip north, their only win on the road last year as Ronald Hernandez’s goal gave the Five Stripes a surprise 1-0 win. Could another surprise be in the cards tonight?
Before we get into this one, check out our 3 Questions series for tonight’s match with SixOneFive Soccer’s Ben Wright to help break it all down:
Atlanta United at Nashville SC: 3 questions about Nashville with Ben Wright
The scoop on Nashville SC from Ben Wright of SixOneFive Soccer.
With that, summer break comes to an end and the second half of the 2026 season for Atlanta United resumes at 8:00 PM ET tonight in Nashville, broadcast for the whole country on FOX, or Apple TV if you’re a creature of habit. If audio is more your vibe, 92.9 The Game has your English language coverage, while La Mejor is your go-to for Spanish radio.
No matter where you are, or how things look on the pitch, feel free to chime in on the match down below in our match thread as we get back into the swing of things.
Atlanta United’s Lineup:
Nashville SC’s Lineup:
How to Watch:
Venue: GEODIS Park, Nashville, TN
Kickoff Time: Friday, July 17th, 8:10 PM ET
Available TV/Streaming: FOX, FOX Deportes, Apple TV
Available Radio: 92.9 The Game, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.
Gregersen is a good player when he is available, but that is not very often (2 month break and he is injured?). ELL is a total waste, and can’t even make the starting squad – use the contract buyout and get rid of him. Get the lawyers working overtime to get the new players here (can’t believe that they didn’t have visas worked out and ready to go). It’s all very frustrating.
You do realize that visa process can’t get started until the player signs their contract.
Just sell Lath for pennies on the dollar and stop wasting the roster spot. It’s never going to happen.
Wtf was that latte lath? This is why you’re on the bench
Can’t get upset about the Nashville goal. ATL has zero offense. That has been the problem all year.
Ouch
Ok.. I can take a nil-nil halftime draw…
I’ll take it.
This roster is just in shambles.
Why am I tuned in for this? We’re up against the shield leaders with a makeshift backline, LL is still bad enough to be on the bench behind Brennan, still no true 6 or striker…
Am I upset about the season? Yes. Am I gonna watch and support the squad? Yes. Am I expecting a good result? No. We need more signings and some creativity in the final third.
My enthusiasm level for the return of AU to the pitch under the current circumstances is hovering just above auto insurance renewal and April 15th.
That said, I do have some really good bourbon on the bar to dull the pain. So, I’ll probably tune in.
Just curious who is going to play CB for us when our only 3 true CBs are either out or probably won’t play because they are injured. I would assume Hernandez plays one of the CB spots.
Based on yesterday’s media availability, Tata seemed to prefer Jacob with Mihaj as the duo for tonight.
So Mihaj moving on is still just a rumor and will be available for tonight’s match?
Firmly rumor territory, but if his name doesn’t appear anywhere tonight you can certainly upgrade that. He should be available.